Electric fan heater



Witness J. C. CLUTTS.

ELECTRIC FAN HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 23. 1920.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. C. CLUTTS.

LECTRIC FAN HEATER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1920 1,399,981 Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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JOSEPH C. CLUTTS, 0F FORT THOMAS, KENTUCKY.

ELECTRIC FAN HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

-Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

Application filed November 23, 1920. Serial No. 426,065.

To all 'NIIOWL it may concern Be it known that I. JosnrH C. Cnn'rrs, a

citizen of the United States, and residing to the method of constructing and mounting the electric heater elements in front of the fan blades.

An object of the invention is to provide a fan electric heater of a plurality of heater elements of blade form, disposed edgewise or at an angle to the fan blades. whereby the air circulated at a high velocity by the revolving fan is passed between the'heater blades and heated to an efficient degree.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fan electric heater with blade heater elements, removably inserted upon a frame or holder for convenient insertion or removal for making renewals or increasing or decreasing the heating capacity by the number of blades employed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a composite electric heater element in blade form, consisting of an electric current resistance member, disposed between sheets or laminations of insulating and heat radiating material, protecting the resistance material from the atmosphere. reducing oxidation and deterioration. and thereby increasing the life and utility of the heater elements, also, to protect against contact for safety measures, adding stability to the product and advantages for production and handling in commerce.

\Vith these and other objects and features hereinafter appearing. the invention consists in certain novel combinations, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings. illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, and forming a part of the specificatlon, and in the drawings like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views of which:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my heating apparatus attached to a commercial type of fan.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 22 of Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan View of the middle portion of one of the heating elements.

Fig. 4 is a combined section and edge view of the structure shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view showing the structure at the end of one of the heating elements.

Fig. (i is an edge view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 77 of Fig. 5, a portion of the heating element supporting ring being shown.

The numeral 1 generally designates a commercial type of electric motor fan; 2, the

base pedestal of the same; 3, the motor casing; and 4. the fan.

Attached to the front face of the motor casing 3, by screws 4*, are diametrical spider arms 5, extending forwardly of the fan 4, and fastened at 6 to a sheet metal heating element supporting ring or frame 7, concentric with the fan shaft. and placed at a short distance in front of the fan. The frame 7 is of L-shaped or angle form in cross section, provides a front inturned flange 8, forming a seat for an insulating annulus 9, of rectangular cross section and the inner circumferential face of the frame 7 is lined with heat insulating material 10. Semi-circular electric current conductor strips 11-l1, each provided with a terminal 11, for making the circuit or wiring connections. are secured against the inner face of the annulus 9. Upon these conducting strips are mounted and attached as at 12 in vertically spaced and horizontally oppositely a-lined pairs, spring switch clips 13 of conducting material. These switch clips 13 represent the commercial clips for knife electric switches. having extending opposing spring arms 14. slightly spaced apart for yieldingly clamping the terminals of the heating elements generally indicated at 20. These heating elements are all of duplicate con truction, only, varying in length, on account of the employment of a circular frame. The heating coils 21 are formed by wrapping the wire around flat, laminated strips of mica 22. or about any suitable electric insulat ng and heat conducting and radiating material. and are formed of two sections 23. each comprising a relatively long narrow portion 24. and a relativelr broad head portion 25. the head portions of the sections being interlapped centrally as at 26 (see Figs. 2. 3 and 4). Sectional laminated cover strips 30 of mica are placed above, below and against the coils 21, are overlapped centrally as at 31, and their outer opposed edges fastened at intervals by clips 32, asshown, (see Fig. 7,) to hold the coils positioned between the cover strips. The cover strips are of equal width with the head portions 25, except at their ends 33, which are of equal width with the portions 24. This reduced formation of the ends of the cover strips is for a particular purpose, of which a description follows.

Since the cover strips are of equal length with th coil strips, and since the coil wire must be electrically connected with the spring clips and through them to the conducting strips 11, the coil wire passes from the strip 24 upwardly and is terminally coiled around the reduced ends 33 of the cover strips as shown at 35; and conducting clip-rings 35 are then fastened as shown in contact with the terminal coils 35, and these rings are slipped between the arms 14 of the spring clips 13, to make the necessary electrical contact and to support said heating elements. The interlapping heads 25 of the coil strips and the overlapping ends 31 of the cover strips are fastened together as shown by a band 36.

One or more of the heating elements 20 may be easily and quickly removed or replaced. The motor current supply wires are shown at 40, and the heater current supply wires are indicated at 41. A switch 42 is interposed between the wire terminals 41 and the terminals 11 of the strips 11, by means of which the circuit for the heater can be controlled.

The electric heater unit can be attached to any type of electric fan, for heating the air forced outwardly by the fan.

The heating elements are removable, and any one of the same may be removed or dispensed with without destroying the efficiency of those remaining. The elements, being connected in parallel circuit connections with the opposite conductors, secured to the frame, provide for inserting or removing any number, for changing the capacity of the heater, and the utility of the unit is not impaired in the event of an element becomin destroyed or burned out.

The heater element carrying frame is shown of circular form merely to give symmetry to the structure as a whole, it being obvious that the outline of the frame may be variously modified.

The heater elements, as thin blade-like structures, are preferably mounted edgewise to the fan, so that the air circulated by the revolving fan is passed over and between the blades of the unit, taking up the radiated heat without deflecting the air currents. Passing the air between the blades compels all of the air to pass through a heating zone created by the heater elements, thereby heating under the highest velocity delivered by fan to an efficient degree, so that no special slow revolution fan need be employed nor the speed of the fan adjusted for heating. The construction admits of the fan to be utilized for either heating or cooling purposes without removing the electric heater elements from the holder. The air direction of circulation is regulated by adjusting the angle of the motor or according to the provisions therefor employed in the type of commercial electric motor driven fan employed.

Incasing the resistance material between laminations of mica protects the resistance material from the atmosphere, thereby reduces oxidation and thereby prolongs the life of the heater element and mica, being an adaptable transparent heat radiating material as well as insulator, provides a very eflicient and durable covering, protecting against any accidental contact with the electric current. The elements in a unit may be of the same or relatively varying capacity, depending upon the service requlrements.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a heat circulating apparatus, removable heating elements electrically connected in parallel and disposed in the air current path of an electric fan, electrical connections for said heating elements in circuit with the fan'power current, and means for making and breaking the said heating circuit independently of the fan circuit.

2. In a heat circulating apparatus, removable heating elements electrically connected in parallel and disposed in the air current path of an electric fan, means for sup-porting said heating elements, attached to the fan casing, electrical connections to said heating elements in circuit with the fan power current, and means for controlling the heating circuit independently of the fan power circuit.

3. In a. heat circulating apparatus, sectional heating elements covered by refractory material electrically connected in parallel and disposed to intercept the air current of an electric fan, means for removably attaching said heating elements to a supporting annulus, means for attaching said annulus to a fan casing, electrical circuit connections between said heating elements and the fan circuit, and means for controlling said heating circuit independently of said fan circuit.

4. In a heat circulating apparatus, metallic resistance coils formed around the refractory heat conducting material, the said cores being disposed to intercept the air current of an electric fan, electric connections from said coils to the fan power circuit, and means for the independent control of the heating coil circuit.

5. In a heat circulating apparatus, metallic resistance coils formed around the refractory heat conducting and the heat radiating material, the refractory heat conducting and radiating housings about said resistance coils, means for supporting said resistance coils in the path of an electric fan air current, electric circuit connections between said resistance coils and the said electric fan circuit, and switch means for the control of the resistance coil circuit independently of the fan power circuit.

6. In a heat circulating apparatus, metallic resistance coils, formed around refractory heat conducting and heat radiating material, refractory heat conducting and radiating housings about said resistance coils, and means for supporting said resistance coils in the path of an electric fan air current.

7. A device of the character described, an electric motor fan, a frame mounted adjacent the fan, having oppositely disposed electric current conductors mounted upon said frame and insulated therefrom, switch slips mounted upon said conductors and arranged in oppositely alined pairs, and. an electric heater element for each pair of clips having its ends respectively insertibly engaged therewith.

8. A device of the character described, a

revolving fan, an electric heater frame mounted adjacent the fan, having a plurality of oppositely disposed heater element supporting and electric current conducting terminals, and a plurality of electric heater elements, each having its opposite ends respectively insertibly engaged with a pair of opposite companion terminals of said frame.

9. A device of the character described, a

revolving fan, means for supporting an electric heater element in front of said fan, and an electric heater element of blade form disposed edegewise of said fan.

10. A device of the character described, a revolving fan, a plurality of electric heater elements, each of blade form, disposed parallel to each other and edgewise of said fan, whereby the revolving fan circulates the air over and between the heater elements.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, as attested by the two subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH O. CLUTTS.

WVitnesses:

EARL BERKFIELD, MARY ETHEL NEWMAN. 

